Leonardo da Vinci’s armored vehicle design is commonly called a tank.
Leonardo sketched the vehicle in the late 15th century as a conical, turtle-like wooden cover fitted with guns. Its sloping exterior was intended to deflect incoming projectiles, while the internal crew could fire through openings around the structure.
The design was powered by people turning cranks connected to wheels. Modern reconstructions have noted that the original gearing, as drawn, would make the vehicle difficult or impossible to propel, possibly because Leonardo deliberately concealed a flaw or because the drawing contains an error.
It was not a modern tank: it had no engine, armor plate, turret, or continuous tracks. The name is a later descriptive label, linking the concept to armored fighting vehicles that appeared centuries afterward.